AFFORDABLE HOUSNG RESOURCE GUIDE A DIRECTORY OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING RESOURCES FOR THE COLORADO SPRINGS AREA

Transcription

1 AFFORDABLE HOUSNG RESOURCE GUIDE A DIRECTORY OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING RESOURCES FOR THE COLORADO SPRINGS AREA

2 AFFORDABLE HOUSING RESOURCE GUIDE A Directory of Affordable Housing Resources for the Colorado Springs Area 2001 Provided by The Internal Affordable Housing Team of the City of Colorado Springs P.O. Box 1575, Mail Code 611 (719)

3 Introduction The Internal Affordable Housing Team is pleased to provide this Affordable Housing Resource Guide. The Internal Affordable Housing Team was established by the City s Affordable Housing Plan The team, made up of staff from a number of City organizations is addressing several items related to affordable housing and identified in the Affordable Housing Plan One of the objectives of the plan is the development of this resource guide. The listings in this guide are derived from questionnaires sent to all local agencies with an apparent connection to the community s affordable housing issues. Not all agencies responded. This initial listing will hopefully be the catalyst for future expanded listings. All of the listed agencies play an important role in addressing the issue of affordable housing in the Colorado Springs area. Services range from providing emergency shelter to assisting with homeownership. Each agency has services available to all members of the community who meet eligibility requirements. Many of these agencies offer services in addition to housing. When contacting these agencies, inquire as to what other services each agency may offer. Agencies are listed in alphabetical order. Inclusion of an agency in this directory does not imply endorsement by the Internal Affordable Housing Team of the City of Colorado Springs. The team appreciates the participation of the organizations included in the directory. The team also welcomes any suggestions for improvement of future updates of the directory. Additional copies may be obtained by calling (719)

4 Purpose of This Guide Affordable housing is a multifaceted and complex challenge. Many organizations, such as for-profit, not-for-profit, and government agencies focus their resources to varying degrees on working various aspects of this issue. Each of these organizations address different aspects of affordable housing. In many cases, the role of each is not clear to the others. This has led to the concept of this resource guide. This guide will help provide a clearer understanding of the services offered by each entity. This will improve coordination and allow for more collaboration among organizations. Effective partnering and referral is critical to the overall success in meeting the challenges of doing affordable housing. It is the aim of the Internal Affordable Housing Team that this guide will also allow citizens to better understand what forms of assistance are available and what organizations provide programs that best suit their needs. 4

5 Affordable Housing Resource Guide Table of Contents Introduction 3 Purpose 4 Page Agency Listings: American Red Cross Emergency Homeless Shelter 6 BethHaven Incorporated 6 Colorado Springs Comprehensive Planning / Land Use Unit 7 Colorado Springs Office of Economic Development 7 Colorado Springs Police Department Code Enforcement Unit 8 Colorado Springs Community Development Unit 8 Colorado Springs Neighborhood Redevelopment Unit 9 Colorado Housing Enterprises, LLC. 10 Colorado Springs Utilities Community Focus Fund 10 Ecumenical Social Ministries 11 El Paso County Housing Authority 11 El Paso County - Office of Economic Development & Public Finance 12 Greccio Housing Unlimited, Inc. 13 Housing Authority of the City of Colorado Springs 13 Partners In Housing, Inc. 14 Payne Chapel AME Church Housing Corporation 14 Pikes Peak Community Action Agency 15 Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity 15 Rebuilding Together with Christmas In April 16 Rocky Mountain Community Land Trust 16 Salvation Army Freshstart Program 17 Silver Key Senior Services 17 5

6 Agency Listings AMERICAN RED CROSS TEMPORARY SHELTER 709 South Sierra Madre Phone: (719) To provide temporary shelter in a safe and healthy atmosphere for people without homes and to facilitate their pursuit of selfsufficiency. Intensive case management; job search assistance; housing search assistance; information and referrals; access to mental and medical services; basic shelter; food; personal hygiene; child enrichment center for residents with children. BETHHAVEN INCORPORATED 510 East Willamette Avenue Phone: (719) Services Housing for adults with mental illness. Sliding scale fees for mentally ill adults. 6

7 COLORADO SPRINGS COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING / LAND USE UNIT P. O. Box 1575 MC 1544 Colorado Springs, CO Phone: (719) Services To conduct planning and land use analysis for public information and utilization in City Administration and City Council decisionmaking, support city land use planning and infrastructure policy development, and urban growth planning implementation. Revised the City s Comprehensive Plan, a document that guides land use and development decisions. With regard to affordable housing, the revision is to improve and assist in the implementation of the current Comprehensive Plan Housing Goal 6.1: Encourage a diversity of housing types, densities and locations in order to provide a sufficient supply and choice of housing at varied price and rent levels to meet the needs of the entire community, including low and moderate income families. COLORADO SPRINGS OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 6 North Tejon Street Suite 202 Phone: (719) Business assistance, expansion, retention and attraction. Private activity bonds can be used for housing programs. 7

8 COLORADO SPRINGS POLICE DEPARTMENT-CODE ENFORCEMENT UNIT 705 South Nevada Avenue, MC 1525 Phone: (719) To protect the health, safety and welfare of city residents by mitigating physical signs of urban blight and social disorder through the enforcement of the City Code of Colorado Springs. The Unit conducts housing and sanitation inspections. Enforcement of the City of Colorado Springs Minimum Housing Code, 1980, as amended. Enforcement of the City of Colorado Springs Sanitation Code as it relates to interior and exterior conditions. COLORADO SPRINGS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT UNIT 30 South Nevada Avenue, Suite 601 P.O. Box 1575, Mail Code 611 Phone: (719) To administer Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development for the purpose of developing and preserving affordable housing within the city limits of Colorado Springs. To support the development and preservation of affordable housing units. 8

9 COLORADO SPRINGS NEIGHBORHOOD REDEVELOPMENT UNIT 704 East Boulder Street Phone: (719) To preserve and enhance neighborhood environments through housing rehabilitation, affordable housing and capital improvement projects. Housing Rehabilitation services include technical and financial assistance in the form of low interest loans or grants for essential repairs and modifications to enable citizens to live affordably in safe homes. Specific activities include: Low interest loans to owner occupants and investor owners for housing rehabilitation Architectural barrier removal assistance to help reduce barriers in homes of physically disabled persons Emergency repair assistance Lights and Locks for seniors Acquisition-Rehabilitation-Resale Program substandard properties are acquired, rehabilitated, and then sold to qualified low income, first time homebuyers using the land trust model for long term affordability. Down payment assistance loans are available to assist with the expense of down payment and closing costs for homes purchased through our programs. 9

10 COLORADO HOUSING ENTERPRISES, LLC 702 East Boulder Street Phone: (719) The purpose of CHE is to create affordable housing opportunities through education, below market mortgage loans, and down payment assistance. Counseling Mortgage lending (below market rate) Rehabilitation lending Closing / downpayment assistance Post purchase counseling COLORADO SPRINGS UTILITIES-COMMUNITY FOCUS FUND P.O. Box 1103 Colorado Springs, CO Phone: (719) Provides funding, volunteers and materials for affordable housing initiatives. See Purpose 10

11 ECUMENICAL SOCIAL MINISTRIES 201 North Weber Street Phone: (719) To provide adequate and low cost housing, by referrals only. Maintain housing lists within the price range for individuals who are seeking a place of their own to rent. ESM also assists with move-in costs to those individual and families who are eligible for assistance. EL PASO COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY c/o EL PASO COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 105 East Vermijo, Suite 200 Phone: (719) Promote decent, safe and sanitary dwelling accommodations for lowincome families. Housing Trust Fund primarily to non-profits, the Housing Authority offers low-interest loans and contracts which require no payment (i.e. grants). Single Family Rehabilitation Program as sub-grantee with El Paso County, the Authority provides loans to homeowners outside of Colorado Springs to make necessary improvements to their houses. 11

12 EL PASO COUNTY OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND PUBLIC FINANCE 105 East Vermijo, Suite 200 Phone: (719) Increase and improve affordable housing opportunities. Single Family Mortgage Revenue Bonds through the issuance of single family bonds, utilizing private activity bond allocation, homeownership opportunities for low to moderate income residents are provided. Loans offered by local lenders are made at lower than market interest rates and include a grant for a portion of the down payment or closing costs. Multifamily Housing Revenue Bonds projects funded with these bonds require a set-aside of affordable units for those earning less than 60% (or in some cases 50%) of median income. Bonds are issued by the County if sufficient private activity bond allocation is available and public purpose can be achieved. Community Development Block Grants when feasible, the County can apply to the State of Colorado for CDBG funds for housing purposes. Currently funds have been provided for a single family rehabilitation program for housing outside the City limits. Another application is in process, which would assist in water/sewer system improvements for a mobile home park. Others are possible. 12

13 GRECCIO, HOUSING UNLIMITED, INC. Greccio Housing Opportunity Center 1808 West Colorado Avenue Colorado Springs, CO Phone: (719) Greccio preserves, develops and maintains quality affordable housing that supports a sense of community in the Pikes Peak Region. Preservation of housing through the purchase of existing properties and then rehabbing them as needed. Greccio then rents these units at below market rates to individuals and families with limited incomes. (These incomes are either through employment or limited disability income.) Affordable housing utilizing new construction. Greccio develops smaller in-fill properties using its internal resources and through partnerships with both for-profit developers and other not-for-profit developers for larger housing projects. HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF COLORADO SPRINGS P.O. Box 1575 Colorado Springs, CO Phone: (719) Provide low-income housing, rental subsidies and homeownership programs. Develop, own, and manage 4000 units of affordable housing in Colorado Springs. Also operate programs for Manitou Springs and El Paso County. 13

14 PARTNERS IN HOUSING, INC. 7 East Bijou Street Phone: (719) The mission of Partners In Housing is to provide transitional housing and the tools to achieve self-sufficiency for homeless families with children. Transitional housing for families with children; Housing support, including maintenance, management, and move in/out; Human services supporting self-sufficiency, including: Intensive casework Budget counseling Life skills education Formal education counseling Family/individual psychotherapy Family activities Emergency services In addition, PIH has an inventory of affordable housing units for working poor, non-program families. Finally, PIH also provides homebuyer education seminars in support of first time homebuyers. PAYNE CHAPEL AME CHURCH HOUSING CORPORATION 1001 South Institute Street Phone: (719) To provide housing (apartments) to low and moderate income individuals and families. Affordable housing advocacy. 14

15 PIKES PEAK COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY 722 South Wahsatch Avenue Phone: (719) The mission of the Pikes Peak Community Action Agency is to increase the capacity of low-income people to be self-sufficient. Pikes Peak Community Action Agency is a non-profit organization serving the lower-income population of El Paso County. From the agency s four community centers, located throughout the County, programs and services are provided to families and individuals seeking both emergency assistance and longer-term, case managed self-sufficiency programs. Depending upon location and funding availability, the agency can assist with eviction or foreclosure prevention, utilities, transportation, prescriptions, emergency food, budget counseling; and employment and training activities. PIKES PEAK HABITAT FOR HUMANITY P.O. Box 9861 Colorado Springs, CO Phone: (719) To build simple, decent, affordable houses and sell them at no profit or interest to low and very low income families in El Paso County. Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity in partnership with community, partner families and volunteers build and/or rehabilitate houses for low and very low income families. 15

16 REBUILDING TOGETHER with Chirstmas in April P.O. Box 7634 Colorado Springs, CO Phone: (719) Services Christmas in April-Colorado Springs is a volunteer, non-profit, nonreligious organization addressing the health, safety and maintenance issues faced by low income homeowners, especially the elderly and disabled. Rebuilding Together partners with other agencies specializing in affordable housing activities. See purpose above. ROCKY MOUNTAIN COMMUNITY LAND TRUST 702 East Boulder Street Phone: (719) Decent, affordable homeownership opportunities for low/moderate income families in the City of Colorado Springs and El Paso County. Creating new additions to the affordable housing inventory in the community Preserving affordable housing in the community. Partnering with clients meeting RMCLT criteria to purchase housing that is affordable for their family. Partnering with other non-profit organizations to help them provide housing for their low/moderate income clients. 16

17 SALVATION ARMY FRESH-START PROGRAM 2649 Yampa Street Colorado Springs, CO Phone: (719) To move homeless families toward permanent housing, increase their skill and economic level and teach them the skills necessary for greater self-sufficiency and healthy family relationships. Work program Mandatory savings Licensed professional counselor available for therapy if needed Mandatory life skills classes SILVER KEY SENIOR SERVICES 2250 Bott Avenue Colorado Springs, CO Phone: (719) To assist elderly persons maintain independence in their own choice of living accommodations. Case Manager to assess client needs and offer housing options. Transportation to visit and view housing selections. Financial aid to assist with first month s rent. Help with moving a small amount of personal property including furniture. 17